Fishing is an outdoor activity enjoyed by many throughout the United States. Successful fishing requires the fisherman to be able to successfully tie knots in fishing line. Fly-fishing, in particular, requires the fisherman to be skilled in knot-tying.
In fly-fishing, the bait is a lightweight fly or lure. Often the fly or lure is artificial. In general, artificial flies are imitations of natural food sources which fly fishers present to their target species of fish while fly-fishing. Artificial flies are constructed by fly tying, in which furs, feathers, thread or any of very many other materials are tied onto a fish hook. The fly is designed to look like an insect that is indigenous to the location of the fish. The hook is tied to the end of a thin, lightweight length of fishing line referred to as a leader.
When fly-fishing, the fisherman generally stands in a stream or other body of water and presents the fly to the fish by casting the fly on or just above the surface of the water in which the fish is swimming. Because it is generally undesirable for the fly to sink beneath the surface of the water, the fly and leader line should be lightweight so that the fisherman's casting motion is sufficient to keep the fly at or above the surface of the water.
The leader line is attached to the main fishing line of the fisherman's fishing rod by means of a knot. When fly-fishing, the fisherman often must tie a new fly/leader onto the fishing line. For example, the fisherman may wish to try a new fly if the current fly does not appear to be attractive to the fish, or if the fisherman loses the fly by snagging the line in brush or for some other reason.
Rather than leaving the water to tie a new knot, it is preferable to tie the new knot while maintaining one's position in the water. Accordingly, the fisherman must be able to tie knots while standing in water. This aspect of fly-fishing is particularly challenging for fishermen who lack fine motor skills, hand-to-eye coordination, and/or have poor eye-sight, such as children, the elderly, and the disabled. A need exists, therefore, for a tool to help such fishermen successfully tie knots while in the water, or when out of the water.